Explosive projectile.



tions, the Firingmechanism will operate zitter l ,termed between the Zeer remmers] t.

DU PONT, Ol? WILMINGTON, DELW'E.

EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented dan. 3d,

Application led May 29, 1911. Serial No. 630,009.

To all fnv/7mm t may concern.'

Ee it known that I, Fnimcis l. DU PONT, citizen of the United States, residing at vl.' nnnngton, county of Newcastle, and State or Selaivare, have invented a new and useful Improvement 1n Explosive Projectiles,

or" which the following is a full, clear, and

enact description, reference being` had to the iccompanying drawings, which forni a part f this specification.

rilhe object of my invention is to provide s for explodinga projectile, for instance a shrapnel shell, as soon as ithas traveled a given distance from the gun.

In a patent issued to me June 20, 1911, No. 995,635, l have set forth and claimed a projectile embodying a fly-Wheel Within the shell and lrotatal'ile on its longitudinal axis, and primer-exploding means, rotatable `with the'shell and geared to the ily-Wheel, arranged to function' after a pre-determined number of revolutidns of the projectile around. the fly wlieel. The number of rotations that the projectile will malte in traveling e given distance is a known factor; and by adjusting the gearingv so that the parts will function after such number of revolutraveling such' given distance.

The object' cf the present invention is identical, in a broad sense, with that of seid patent and embodies the broad invention iecicelly the object oi' my in o improve and simplify the @ding Ineens end enlarge the eminent. rire 1 is a longitudinal section of a w embodying my invention. Fig'. 2

"ion on line 2-2, Fig'. 1. Fi Ted detail view of the sliding- Y shows the firing disk in enis e. shell with the space 2') to ,be filled .,:tn eiplosiv c is e tube or casing the forward end of vhich extends into e 1cess d in the point the and the rearward end of which has an innular flange e, the rim orn Which abnts against an annular shoulder f formed on the inner Wall of the shell. i

g is a cap screwed into the base of the 5 shell and clamping the flange e against the shoulder j.

It a dyf ieel coated Within the space cap g and ange e and freely rotatable on ball. bearings engaging the cap and flange respectively.

z' is a screw secured to and rotatable with the fly-wheel. The screw 'i extends through the tube c and its forward extremity rotates Within e recess j formed in the bese of the recess al. The axis et the fly-wheel /i and screw 'i is coincident with the longitudinal center of the projectile.

7c is a nut on the screw The nut Il: has projections Z which extend into longitudinal grooves m formed Ain the inner Wall et the tube c and is thereby prevented troni turning` relatively to the shell.

n is a disk securely fastened te the forward end of the screw 1 The nut L' carries on v friction material 0, such fis match head cdnin position. The rear face oi' the Vfl" roughened, as by radial grooves p.

r, 7', is a series'of holes toi-med the jo;1h Ward end of the tube c and throi d the fire is con'nnunicated to the explosive ina-- terial in the space b.

revious to firing' the profec is positioned on the screw :it i, mined by the desired distance zle of the gun at which the V taire place. 'W'hcn the prop flight, the nut rotates with i the flywvheei it and screwY f ed by the force that deteri of tlifL shell, and theretn ary,\`v nearly sc. llene jectile Starts to rotete, t c move toward the point of After e. #certain uuinhc r primed face of thennt con rcughened fece of the dist a time when the projectil high velocity andv the flyer are substantially not rotst Will be that the primed i will slide upon the roughenv 1 .1. disk/n. end'ignite the priming The tire will tlash through the nel ignite the explosives in the space' 5b.

The invention is not limited Tie mechanism described and shown n r to the particular means set forth tor producing re. For instance, two materiels which pro ducere could be used such es red pho:- phorus and a potassium chlorte and conibustible metter mixture, and the red phorus could be carried by one or? the inem its front/tace some ll @il bers 7a or n and the chlorate mixture by the other member, so that fire would be pro duced when the two members came into sliding contact. As another example, one of the members la or a may be made of hard steel and the other member may carry flint.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: 4

l. In a projectile, the combination with the shell, of mechanism positioned wholly within the shell and rotatably mounted in bearings therein on an axis coincident with the longitudinal center line of, the shell, other mechanism rotatable with the shell and gearing with the first named mechanism, and firing means carried by each of said mechanisms, arranged to function with each other after Aa pre-determined number of revolutions of the shell around the first named mechanism.

2, In a projectile, the combination with the shell, of a fly-wheel located within the shell and rotatably mounted in bearings therein on the -s'hells longitudinal axis, members, geared together, partaking respec- Jtively of the relative movements of shell and fly-wheel, and priming means carried by said members and adapted to function only after a predetermined number of revolutions of the shell around the fiy-wheel.

3. In a projectile, the combination with the shell, of a ly-wheel located within the shell and rotatably mounted in bearings therein on the shells longitudinal axis, members gearedtogether and partalting respectively of the relative movements of shell and ywheel, said members including opposing priming faces adapted to slidably Contact after a pre-determined number of revolutions of the shell around the iy-wheelY 4. In a projectile, the combination with the shell, of a yewheel and screw located within the shell and freely revoluble rela tively thereto on the shells longitudinal axis, a nut on the` screw movable longitudinally thereof, and priming means carried by said nut and screw respectively and adapted to function after a pre-determined longitudinal movement of the nut along the screw.

5. In a projectile, the combination with. the shell, of a ily-wheel and screw located within the shell and freely revoluble relatively' thereto on the shells longitudinal axis, a nut on the screw movable longitudinally thereof, priming material, and means on the screw adapted to arrest said nut and ignite said priming material. j

6. In a projectile, the combination with the shell, of a fly-wheel and screw located within the shell and freely revoluble relatively thereto on the shclls longitudinal. axis, a nut on the screw movable longitudinally thereof, a disk on the screw, and priming means, on opposite faces of the nut and disk, adapted to be ignited when the nut in its longitudinal movement contacts with the disk.

7. the shell, of a fly-wheel and screw located within the shell and-freely revoluble relatively to the shell on the latters longitudinal axis, a tube secured to the shell and through which the screw extends, a nut on the screw movable in longitudinal guides on the tube, a disk on the screw, and priming' means on opposing faces of the nut and disk, said tube being orificed adjacent to the disk to permit the fire from the primer to flash into the space within the shell surrounding the tube.

, 8. In a projectile,.the combination with the shell, of a fly-wheel located in the base of the shellv and freely revoluble relatively thereto on the longitudinal axis of the shell, ay screw secured tothe fly-wheel and revoluble on the same axis and extending from l the Hy-wheel to the point of the projectile, a nut on the screw and movable longitudinally thereof, and priming means operable by the of the same along the screw.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set'my hand, at Philadelphia, on this 24th day of May, 1911.

FRANGIS I. DU PONT.

I Witnesses:

M. M. HAMILTON, E. E. l/VALL.

In a projectile, the combination with nut after a predeterminedy movement 

